Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Pair of Us

This card used the Adirondack Chair from Asela's "The Journey", I masked it to make the pair sitting here in the Pure Luxury Soft Sand. Base and mats are Garden Green, and embellished with the new adhesive nail heads.
A couple months after my husband and I began dating 13 years ago, he built two Adirondack chairs, one for each of us, to sit on the porch together. Like me, he likes making things with his hands. He's a man of few words, but this romantic gesture was loud and clear: he would provide a place for me and we'd always be together. In these low slung chairs you can't help but relax, and talk about happy times past and dreams for the future. We still have these chairs, they have been repainted three times. I'm glad he's a handy guy and knows how to fix things, so we can keep these chairs through whatever repairs they'll need and our memories of sitting in them forever.

They've been dragged all over our yard, to find the shade or get a better view of the kids, but we always keep them together. Most often they are parked in front of the Koi pond he dug and landscaped himself 6 years ago, shortly after the birth of our first child. He had just gotten laid off, and decided it was the perfect time to spend a lot of money building a pond, which he had always wanted-now he finally had the TIME to do it! (He's an eternal optimist.) With me not working and a newborn, I had to hold my breath and tongue about the wisdom of adding a pond then, but of course he found another job (better one) soon after, and that pond is still one of our favorite things about our home all these years later, it has given us thousands of hours of enjoyment. It was a great investment.

Every 3 years or so, the chairs need a new coat of paint or a bit of wood filler to heal the occasional crack. To me, they are kind of symbolic of changes that seem to happen in life every few years for our family, the good and the bad, the blessings and surprises; we weather through them.

These are just a few reasons why the best part of me is my husband.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Framing with Nestabilities

On today's sample I used a corner rounder on the bottom of my card base and some Nestabilities to frame up the "Arranged with Love" image. Let me show you how easy it is.
If you have Nestabilities, it is very likely the Scalloped Rectangles are part of your collection, they were one of the first few sets I bought, as most stamp images fit and frame nicely in a rectangle and look so elegant in this classic shape. To perfectly frame this large image, trim the stamped image on the line. Die cut two of the largest Scalloped Rectangles of the same size, here I used Pure Luxury White.
Then overlap them and adhere the first one over the top three humps of the second, lining the scallops up on both sides. The seam will not show once you place your image over it.

I used a pastel pink scheme for this card and added "Congrats!" to celebrate the arrival of a baby girl. The butterfly is from "Take Flight", covered in Stardust Stickles.
Have a great day!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Big and Beautiful

Here is a sample showing both how you can dress up the "Arranged with Love" stamp with single flowers from "A Year of Flowers", as well as mat it on a larger card. I chose earthy colors and the sunflower for a card that would be pretty for summer or fall. The popped up sunflower covers the flower underneath and dips down below the border. One this 5x7 card (Garden Green 10x 7", scored at 5"), I now have room to use two of my greetings on the front, I chose these two sentiments to celebrate an anniversary. "Congrats!" fits perfectly along the bottom. More flowers are stamped inside with Versamark.

I haven't made cards larger than A2 very often in the past because most stamp images are a better scale for a smaller format, but I really like this look! (Perfect for when you need write to bunch inside!) ;)

The frame is stamped in Memento Black on one of the "solid" distressed sheets from a Basic Grey pack, colored with Copics and mounted on Pure Luxury Black Onyx.

This week I will be sharing how to mat this onto Nestabilities and using Peerless Watercolors with it. :) Happy Sunday!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Fun at the Beach

My son Jonathan has a swim met today (wish him luck!) so I thought I'd share a swim card. The volleyball and goggles are from "Sporty Accessories" and sunglasses, covered in Crystal Lacquer, are from "Little Tees". Greeting is from "Lazy Days of Summer" (BTW, so far our summer has just been HOT (106!!) and anything but lazy, I feel like a professional chauffeur carting the kids around to all their activities and practices!!) The beach towels are Basic Grey Lime Rickey DP. Base is Rocket Red and the ruched Khaki Crepe CS is from Paper Temptress, it has some really fun ripples that looked carved into the shore by the wind and water.

TIP: Paper piece the space inside the goggle straps if you are placing it over a patterned paper, this is easier than trying to cut out those tiny areas!

Don't forget to scroll down and read my tip sheet for my new set if you have not yet done! I'm so excited for all of your "Arranged with Love" orders start arriving next week and see what you've made when your projects hit the galleries! :)

Friday, June 26, 2009

"Arranged with Love" Tip Sheet

Everyone loves to receive a bouquet of flowers, and they are appropriate year round. With "Arranged with Love", now you can have a stamped bouquet anytime, complete with a place to add just the greeting you need. You will be stamping out cards in no time that look like you spent hours, no need to mask, or worry about a layout or where your embellishments go! Beautiful when stamped and left uncolored, or approached with your Copics, watercolors or pencils, your creation is sure to get a "wow!"

This card was done with several shades of brown Copics after stamping the image in Vivid Coffee Bean on to Pure Luxury Ivory. I went over it with the Crackle image from "Bold Flowers" and mounted onto Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss and the new Soft Sand.

                                  Next up, my favorite tips for the new set! :)
                                • There are many ways to trim the image after stamping! Cut on the line and mat on colored cardstock as you normally would, or leave a 1/8" border around it to layer on your card base, that leaves a 1/8" inch of your card base showing. This second way creates the illusion of lots of layers, in only two!

                                • Cut along the outside of the border with a pair of decorative edge scissors: following the line makes it easy to get it straight and a scalloped, zigzag or postage stamp edge adds a lot to your design!

                                • Cut it shorter or narrower and run a marker the same color as the ink you stamped it with along the edge to frame it up again, easy!

                                • Pop up blooms from "A Year of Flowers" over "Arranged with Love". This gives more dimension, allows you to add more of your favorite blooms, and customize it even more according to the season (ex: adding tulips in Spring and sunflowers in Autumn).

                                • Layer "A Year of Flowers" bloom directly over the matching flower in the "Arranged with Love" layout to have its edges extend outside of the border, a great look! (Ex: a lily over the second lily from the top, will peep just outside the frame but still fit on the A2 card)

                                • Stamp the frame onto DP for a subtle pattern. Color over the flowers with light colors to make them pop but leave the pattern showing through.

                                • Stamp in color on a neutral cardstock and mount on a base to match the ink color for a soft monochromatic look. Stamp the little card onto white or ivory CS to layer over it like paper piecing to really make your greeting "pop".

                                • Stamp the image over a printed "Summer Fabrics" page(the freebie digi pack from Gina K Designs) which will look like rich floral tapestry over the canvas, twill and gauze backgrounds!

                                • Stamp the image onto acetate in Stazon and color the back to create a stain glass look!


                                • Stamp the crackle pattern from "Bold Flowers" to create a vintage style card.

                                • Sponge the edges with a distressing link to give it a beautiful, time-worn patina.

                                • Stamp over the page of a book "a la Gina K" and then color the blooms to allow the words to show through for a really romantic "love letters and flowers" feel!

                                • This image would be gorgeous with the cracked glass technique!

                                • Paper piece just the background around the flowers or certain flowers the background with DP.

                                • Embellish the little card nestled in the flowers with brads, rhinestones, flowers or piercing in the corners or underneath the greeting.

                                • Create a square card by cropping the image smaller and layer onto square card base.

                                • Crop the image with a large die to create a smaller version of the image for a focal point you can use to layer into a completely different sketch.

                                • Add a little bow to the side of the card.

                                • Cut out the little card like a window on your card front and have the greeting stamped on the inside of the card base so it shows through.

                                • Personalize your special delivery by handwriting your own greeting on the little card, "xoxo" the recipient's name, or add a real lipstick print, ooh la la!

                                • Substitute a die cut Nestabilitie over the little card to add a fancier shaped card to the layout, like the Labels One or labels Four. Try a heart for your sweetheart!

                                • Watermark with Versamark on colored Cardstock or use an ink similar to the cardstock color for a beautiful tone one tone pattern.

                                • Decorate your envelope flap and inside of card with "A Year of Flowers".

                                • Emboss in black or white and color.

                                • Emboss it with a metallic powder for a card that shouts "elegance"!

                                • Stamp in a waterbased colored ink and run your waterbrush or wet watercolor brush over the flowers to blend the ink and give a soft colored look.

                                • Use a craft knife to cut around some of the leaf tips or petal ends and gently pull them outward, adding dimension like they are growing off the page.

                                • Use a card base that is smaller than the image and cut around the flowers to make them extend off the card as if they are growing.

                                • Add punched corners or flourishes to the corners of the frame to make it even fancier.

                                • Add drops of Crystal Lacquer to the petals to make your bouquet look "fresh cut from the garden"!

                                • Add some ladybugs from "A Year of Flowers" or butterflies from Gina's "Take Flight".

                                • Stamp the image twice and cut blooms from one to layer onto the other for a paper tole effect.

                                • Stamp the image on an envelope and hand write the person's name in the little card in the center.

                                • Cut out just the flowers from a corner or side to add to the corner of your card, it works to decorate your card like a flourish would, like a little cluster or border of flowers!

                                • Color just one flower for a spotlight on that bloom.

                                • Layer a mat with another image over the little card if you want to use the large image like a background. If you use a single image from "A Year of Flowers" you already have a custom mat like matching DP to match behind it!

                                • Make an extra large card with this extra large stamp by layering it onto a 5x7" base. This way it looks like a smaller focal point and you can go to town adding more layers and designer papers to match for a different sketch.

                                • Color ideas: look to nature for some great color combos when coloring your arrangements or grab color challenges and add a green if it doesn't have one for leaves. Your favorite combos will be very striking. using several different colors will be very eye catching or a one color bouquet (like all white) says "Luxury!".

                                • Choose all pastels for a very springy card, earthy tones in the fall for Thanksgiving, an "all pink" or "blue" color scheme for a baby's arrival, etc.

                                • Search the Internet of floral sites and find the meanings of different colors in flower arrangements to really customize your bouquet.

                                • Color the bloom you really want to "pop" with the brightest color.

                                • The 10 greetings in this set will get you through the entire year of occasions: "Congrats" for a new baby, engagement, promotion, "On Your Special Day" works for any of those as well as a shower, anniversary, or Mother's or Father's day for moms and dads! These also work well in combination with each other to lead into the inside of your card, for example, "Beautiful Friend... Happy Birthday!" Sending Prayers...Feel Better Soon" "To the Mr. and Mrs. ... Congrats!" "On your Special Day...Thanks So Much!"

                                • These large classic script greetings are a beautiful new option to go with "A Year of Flowers" images or any other images in your collection , sized to fit almost all shapes of Nestabilities and Tags.

                                • The majority of the greetings from "Say it with Flowers" fit on the little card, which measures 1 1/2" by 2". Have fun going through your other greeting to see what you can add to that little card! The new "Free with Three" "Many Wishes" are a beautiful match, in both size and font, and fit!

                                • Stamp an initial on the little card for a monogram, perfect for gift sets or to frame for someone's room!

                                Projects:



                                Frame it in a 5x7 or 8 x 10 mat for piece of giftable art work. For a girl or woman's bedroom night table, write her name on the little card in calligraphy.


                                Slide the colored stamped image into a small acrylic frame to make a little message board, the little blank card space is perfect for writing the phone number or "I'll be back later, I love you!" :)

                                Place a small photo of yourself and the recipient over the card in the center instead of a greeting.


                                Create a quick set of matching cards using someone's favorite colors and add the different greetings to the centers for a gift she can use year round. Put in an acrylic box and tie a ribbon, you're done!


                                Stamp the image into Polyshrink and color, then shrink down to create a keyring or suncatcher.


                                For the brave: stamp the image onto canvas and embroider! :)

                                Use the image to alter the cover for a personalized blank book journal. Make it a book to keep track of birthdays using the "Happy Birthday!" stamp or any time gift with "Beautiful Friend".

                                Thursday, June 25, 2009

                                Sneek Peek Day 3: "The Journey" and "Many Wishes"

                                Our last two Gina K Designs stamp set peeks before the reveal tonight and I've gotten some clean and simple cards for you! The first is Asela's "The Journey". Lots of very poignant vignettes and sentiments included, here's an image I like a lot, because of the sweetness of the pair, but also the ambiguity their walking away from us creates: you may see two children, or if you're "petite" like me (and have a 6 year old son that's already up to your shoulder!), you might see a mother and son. We just returned from the beach a few weeks ago, and we just love walking up and down the beach together finding shells, so I knew as soon as I saw this image (and the new Gina K Pure Luxury "Soft Sand" cardstock!) what I wanted to make.
                                I glued a few shells to the corner of my embossed Nesabilities rectangle frame for an accent, and broke off a tiny piece of one to put in her hand. After making a diagonal tear in some scratch paper, I placed it across the top corner and sponged in three layers of foamy surf with my Cream White Pad. The figures are colored with Copics and popped up, I followed along the underside of the image with my Versamarker to make the shadows and added two little rows of simple footprints. Last a piece of hemp, I can almost never do a beach card with it. (I have smokin' hot card for the party with this set, completely different, hope you can make it!) :)


                                Next up is Gina's "Many Wishes", full of dandelions and dreams.

                                Here is a simple single layer card created by stamping and stamping off the different dandelion heads in Staz On on Glossy CS, then matching up the stems to each, tilting them this way and that make a soft breeze. I added a little more greenery from Gina's "Tropical Flowers" to flesh out the field a bit more. I sponged on a bit of pink and purple allowing some white to peek through, I love doing nature silhouettes like this with sky in the background, like you're lying on your back in the grass with flowers towering over you as the sun sets. She also included lots of different wish greetings to accompany those little spores floating away in the breeze... ahhhhhh!

                                More peeks from our team here:

                                Gina, Carolyn, Cathy, Cindy, Donna, Emily, Erika, Jessica, Joanne, Kurtis, Lee, Lynn, Melanie, Theresa , and Asela
                                Our CenterStage Spotlight Design Team members Selma Stevenson and Pam Imholz are joining us this morning with previews as well!


                                Release party is tonight!! woo hoo! Please join us at 7PM CST in the SCS Gina K forum party thread to chat, see more samples and get the first look at the full set reveals, this release is going to blow you away! :)

                                Wednesday, June 24, 2009

                                Winners!


                                Thank you again everyone who played in the "A Year of Flowers" blog hop last week! Such beautiful cards from everyone!! :) should we have more hops??(with "Arranged with Love" next??)

                                The winner of my new "Arranged with Love" set goes to Stephanie B. with this beauty of a card you see above!! I just loved the pinks and oranges with the neutrals and all those repeating circles: the flowers, their centers, the spots on both the DP and the spiral clip, it just had such a fresh, modern, cheerful feel! And the pale pink envelope to go with was such a fun touch! Congrats Stephanie! Please send me an email with your contact info to make arrangements for you to receive the new set!

                                The winner drawn form the comments section is:
                                terriavidreader (IN-USA) who said...
                                I'm one of the few who doesn't own this set. But I'd love to win a new set! Being unemployed isn't fun!

                                June 19, 2009 8:19 AM

                                Congrats Teri! Please email me with your address and let me know whether you would like the"A Charmed Life" or "Sporty Accessories" set!

                                Please scroll down and see two sneak peeks if you have not already gone on our Gina K hop today! Next two peeks at midnight CST! :) we are less than 24 hours away from the PAR-TAY!!!

                                Sneak Peek Day 2: "Arranged with Love" and "Bug Me Anytime"

                                If you're familiar with my past stamp designs, you know I love elemental sets that allow you to create different compositions with the images to suit a certain style, mood, or layout. One of my favorites, "A Year of Flowers" is one that lends itself to the very simplest designs, with a single bloom on a one layer card, all the way to a very intricate arrangement using every blossom and leaf in the set LOL! I love how you could never make the same card twice with it. But sometimes when you stamp, you don't want to think (about: Where does the embellishment go? What layout should I do? Where is that mask again?? Where is my mojo...?!) you just want to stamp and color. I get that. (Sometimes, me, too!) This new set is for you! :) The sample below is a TWO LAYER CARD, made from just TWO stamps!


                                In my newest set "Arranged with Love", releasing this Thursday from Gina K Designs, I have taken all the time and guesswork out for you with this large frame stamp image, which I painstakingly arranged and edited a few of my favorites from "A Year of Flowers" to give you an extravagant, layered-looking bouquet, ready to layer onto your card front, that you can send for any occasion, year-round! It's like sending a real bouquet! The framed flowers image has a tiny blank "card" nestled in the center, and I've included 10 different greeting options for all occasions. You will adore the large, elegant font. I colored this with Copics and trimmed it with a pair of postage edge scissors, it is so easy to change the look with decorative scissors and sooo easy to cut, just follow the line! Card base is Pure Luxury Rocket Red.

                                Now, if you don't want to color, this set is also for you! Check out how beautiful it is stamped in a colored ink! (You won't believe how quick it was to put this clear gift box of cards together!)

                                These are stamped with Vivid Brick on the new Gina K Pure Luxury Soft Sand CS, layered onto Rocket Red and Ivory.



                                I stamped just the little greeting card in the middle onto the Ivory CS and cut it out to layer on top so the greeting would really "pop" off the darker paper. There is just one of the new 2 mm self adhesive rhinestones at the top corner of each for some bling, that tiny sparkle adds so much!

                                "Arranged with Love" is a wonderful stand alone set, but also the perfect companion to your "A Year of Flowers". By using a single bloom to decorate the inside of the card or your envelope, or if you don't see your favorite flower in this new set (or want to change this up to match your season, for example: sunflower for fall), simply cut one out and pop one into this arrangement, it will fit right in! :) Here I've stamped the frame image directly onto my card base and turned it sideways, then covered the little sentiment card with some masked "A Year of Flowers" lilies. It's like custom DP for the first set, but in a frame!

                                I also stamped the frame onto the back of my envelope. This is a really nice way to match the card when you're going to be hand delivering it, rather than just writing the name!

                                Below you can see how I stamped the individual lilies on the flap to decorate the back. I stamped the background one more time on some white CS and in plum ink and stamped another greeting from the set over it in Memento Black.





                                I may never be able to send a thank you or birthday card to all my readers, but I crafted this set with every one of you in mind, hoping you'll get years of enjoyment stamping with it and in turn bring smiles to your friends and family when they receive these creations from your heart. That's why I called it "Arranged with Love". Flowers and BIG hugs from me! :)

                                The next peek is the new set from Nina Brackett: "Bug Me Anytime". It is such a fun, funky set! It includes flower parts and pieces so you can make your own modern-looking arrangements, plus, of course, BUGS!! I stamped the big dotted strip from "Ribbon Stripes" for the side and bottom , it is such a nice match for the large dots that accent the majority of the images in this set, and the ladybug! So cute!! This time I used Almost Amethyst with the Rocket Red and I am lovin' this color combo!

                                Please check out more samples of these sets from our Gina K team, and stop back tomorrow for our two last peeks, and then... THE PARTY!! :)



                                Gina, Carolyn, Cathy, Cindy, Donna, Emily, Jessica, Kurtis, Lee, Lynn, and Theresa
                                and, be sure to check out our CenterStage Spotlight girls joining us in Previews today: Carla Suto and Melisa Waldorf , my Guest Designer this month: Selma Stevenson plus a couple more rockstar special appearances from Denise Marzec and Dawn Lusk! Thank you everyone! :)

                                Tuesday, June 23, 2009

                                Sneak Peek Day 1: "Happy Camper" and "100% Sweet"


                                Sneak peeks have begun, ooh the excitement! First up is Theresa Momber's "Happy Camper". What a great outdoorsy set to follow up "Out West"! You also get to see some of the new Pure Luxury Soft Sand from Gina K. It is a fabulous neutral, here paired with White and Black Onyx.
                                I masked this scene from a couple different images, starting with the sign (which is blank for you to fill in with what you need for your card) and then stamping the landscape behind it. Without removing the mask and without reinking, flip the mountain scene over and stamp again for a reflection. I sponged around a punched circle above and below and colored everything with Copics, keeping it all muted to look like a still morning. I went out in the yard and found a little twig to create the cane pole and tied on some thread for the line, and popped up one little fish at the end. This little image is great for creating borders too, here I stamped them all along the bottom to look like you are getting a view of what's under the water. This was really fun to make! :)

                                Next, Rupa's new set is appropriately named "100% Sweet"! I had a really hard time deciding which card to share today (kind of like picking from the dessert cart, my samples all looked so yummy to me, LOL!)


                                This card was inspired by a beautful wine and dessert bar I discovered this past week "Viva Chocolate!" (my kind of place!) I pulled out my Basic Grey Bittersweet papers to create the scene. Isn't that cake heavenly? ("chocolate raspberry truffle" hee hee!) I love the little "two forks, please" image. :) I made the plate with an oval Nestabilites die and added a "folded napkin" made from a 3" square of Pure Luxury and my Scor-Pal! Of course you need some coffee with your cake, and Rupa's cups from another favorite "My Cuppa Joe" are just right! The sentiment is framed up with Long Rectangle Nestabilities to look like a wall hanging.


                                More peeks from our Gina K team!!
                                Gina, Carolyn, Cathy, Cindy, Donna, Emily, Erika, Jessica, Joanne, Kurtis, Lee, Lynn, and Theresa
                                We are also thrilled to have a couple of our CenterStage Spotlight Design Team join us in our previews this morning: Carolina Buchting and Jennie Harper



                                What do you think?? Two more peeks tomorrow!! ( one is my set, squeeeeeeeeal, so excited!)
                                Mark your calendars for the Gina K designs release and party (this link explains the what's to expect!) this Thursday night, June 25th!



                                Monday, June 22, 2009

                                keeps lifting me....

                                Another of my final projects for Allison of So Sketchy! Please see the So Sketchy blog for the original skecth. I used the kite from the Stamp TV Kit Eclectic Summer and attached it to the greeting with my pen and a straightedge. Kite is pieced with Basic Grey Lime Rickey paper from the kit, and orange and teal backgroudn are digi papers from Emily's "Bright Summer Grunge" pack. My favorite elements of this card are the greeting going uuuuuuuuuuup and the subtle sky scene created with the colors and circle shape. :)

                                Sneak peeks start at midnight!!!! can't wait, two new sets revealed! :)

                                Reminder: You still have a few hours left to enter "A Year of Flowers" project for a chance to win the new set, click here to upload before 11 PM CST!

                                Sunday, June 21, 2009

                                Butterfly

                                Looking at the shape of the butterfly from the Stamp TV Eclectic Summer Kit, I thought it might be fun to try to stamp the into kind of an interlocking pattern in black and white like an Escher print. (Some areas didn't meet up quite like his fractals LOL!) I then popped one up and used the colors of the rainbow to fill it in (may go back and use some of these colors in between the butterflies....)This is not a Father's Day card, but the sentiment is very appropriate :)

                                Hope you have a very happy Father's Day! Sneak peeks starting soon! Don't forget to check out the "Year of flowers" Blog hop from Friday's post, there are a couple more days to play ( so far we have 8, I thought it would be more like 8 HUNDRED!) I will assume you are all working on something extra special ;)

                                Sneak peeks start Tuesday morning for the new release!!! :)

                                Saturday, June 20, 2009

                                You're a Classic

                                Here is a book mark I made with "Sporty Accessories", "Ribbon Stripes", ribbons and papers from the "Eclectic Summer kit", star from the "Lazy Days of Summer" Free with Three set (only free for a few more days, next release is Thursday!) Yup, I managed to get almost the whole release on this one project! LOL!! Just love how well it all goes together. :) "You're A Classic" greeting to go with the classic Chucks is from my "Tee Talk" set.

                                I hope you have a terrfic weekend celebrating the fathers in your life! (I think our weekend inolves laying low and smoking brisket, how the dad in our family likes it!)

                                Be sure to scroll down to the post below for the flower blog hop, even if you are not adding a link, click on the Mr. Linky at the bottom of that post to see the list of players who are already up! :)

                                Only 5 more days til our next release!!! I am going to say: one of these new sets contains probably my favorite image in my entire collection of stamps! and I have a TON after 6 years of collecting! So excited to reveal it to you!!!

                                Friday, June 19, 2009

                                "A Year of Flowers" Blog Hop! Come join the fun!

                                Hello! Today I am pulling out a favorite set I have not had time to work with in the past few months since I've been so busy with all our other new release Gina K Designs sets: "A Year of Flowers"! (blog hop info follows sample) I've been meaning to make "a dozen roses" for awhile now, glad I saved it for today, this is my first stair step card!

                                Score a 5 x 10 1/2" piece of baseweight Pure Luxury White at 1 1/4", 2 1/2", 4 1/4", 6", and 8 1/4". Fold. Now stamp out three rows of roses on another piece of CS in Memento Black, masking them to fit within 5 1/2"(so it will fit in your A2 envelope) and mask in the leaves. Here you can see my scrap mask covering one rose so I can stamp the leaves. I did 3 in my bottom row, 4 in the second, and 5 in the third for a total of 12. Gotta go for the full dozen! :) Masking will save a lot of time in just cutting the three orws and not having to cut out and adhere 12 individual flowers!
                                I only used 4 Copics for this card, 2 greens and two reds: Grayish Olive and Lime Green for the leaves, and Lipstick Red and Cardinal for the roses. Coloring went very quickly. Then I cut each row out and adhered to each step. You can go back in and adhere some more leaves behind the layers if you want a fuller bouquet.

                                Here's what it looks like pulled out, I used "for you" and "with love" from the same set. I love how it turned out , much cheaper than sending the real thing LOL! (you can buy all the supplies to make this again and again for less than you can send a dozen roses!!)


                                NOW! Please come join me in a flower blog hop as I try out the Mr. Linky for the first time! Please share your new creations (cards , pages or 3D items) made with "A Year of Flowers", through June 22nd, and we'll hop around and watch the flowers bloom all weekend! ( I think by now just about all of you have this set, right, show of hands??) Only requirement is incorporating this set, links that do not follow the challenge or are found inappropriate will be removed, thanks in advance for following these simple rules!

                                I will pick one winner to receive a copy of my new set (and you WILL want it, NEED it!), which is releasing June 25th from Gina K Designs. Winner will be announced here June 24th, the day we peek the new set in our design team blog hop!

                                Just post your creation to your STV or SCS gallery or blog and then add your link to it by clicking on the Mr. Linky below, thanks for joining, should be a beautiful couple of days, I can smell the flowers already... :)
                                If you don't have the set or can't participate, you can still get a chance to win a copy of "Sporty Accessories" OR "A Charmed Life", your choice, by visiting the blog links in the hop and then leaving a comment on this post. Good luck!


                                Thursday, June 18, 2009

                                Blog Candy Winner!

                                and the July issue of CardMaker magazine and card go to....

                                Darlene L said...
                                Wild, wild, guessing here. We have had wee tees, teen tees, adult tees==how about something for us fun loving senior citizens?

                                Congrats on your publishing achievements. I'll be sure to check them out next time I get to a "big" town that has book stores.

                                June 15, 2009 8:20 PM

                                Congrats, Darlene! Please email me your addy and I will send you your prize!

                                Thanks to everyone who threw in a guess about my new set! I will say, there were a few of you who are on the right track! :) I guess everyone will know for sure in a few more days!! :)

                                Didn't win this time? Play my flower blog hop challenge for more chances at prizes, it's posting in just one hour!!!

                                Week3: Tina Gilliland

                                Look at this fun golf project from Tina! The layout she's created with the "Sporty Accessories" clubs is so sharp and the argyle paper is perfect with it. She stamped the label image from "What's in Your Tin? 2" directly onto the DP and trimmed to make the cover for this little golf tee and pencil Altoid tin, I just love that idea, fun and practical, and not hard to duplicate!

                                Now check out a FANtastic 3D project on Tina's blog, your sporty family and friends will LOVE this!! (GIRL, could I use one of these right now, it has been over 100 degrees here every day this week!)
                                Finally, there have been some correct guesses about my set on the blog candy post, hee hee, I will be announcing the winner of the candy shortly, along with another prize opportunity and a blog hop I hope you'll join in! :)

                                Tuesday, June 16, 2009

                                Flower Bucket

                                Here is a card I made with the "Stamp TV kit Eclectic Summer". The turquoise DP is Emily's Bright Summer Grunge, and I colored a white paper flower with Copics to match the copic colored flowers in the bucket. A little hemp tied around the bucket adds some texture. TIP: Choose DP to go with your image that has a subtle "matchiness" to the pattern, here the flower centers are really fun with the polka dots, instead of choosing a floral pattern. I punched some ovals from celery CS for the leaves and swiped my Garden Green pad over them to match the fun green Basic Grey Lime Rickey paper, also from the kit. Brown layer is Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss.

                                Monday, June 15, 2009

                                Blog Candy!! :)

                                The second publication featuring my designs is now on the newsstands, woo hoo! Please check out the July 2009 issue of CardMaker Magazine, it contains FOUR of my samples using various sets from Gina K Designs (along with many other great projects you can recreate from other designers you know and love, including my amazingly talented friend Carolyn King!*), as well as a web bonus card I made which you can find on their site! Above is a little peek of just one of the cards that made it in, using my "A Year of Flowers" and "Say it with Flowers", I loved making this and was so delighted to see how they staged it with real petals! :)


                                Please leave me a comment on this post with your guess about what I might be doing for my next stamp set (releasing June 25th!), I will pick one random winner to receive a signed copy of the magazine and the web bonus sheet, along with the original signed card and envelope you see above!



                                This candy is open until June 17, 11PM CST, winner announced the following day!

                                * if I run into her before I send it out, I'll ask her to sign it, too, she's just "up the road" from me! ;)

                                So Strappy!

                                Here is one of my last "So Sketchy" Challenges to end my 6 month So Sketchy run as a "Sistah", it's been a blast! Be sure to visit the Sketchy blog for this particular sketch.

                                The different horizontal strips inspired me to use Theresa's horse from "Out West" set and create some bridle straps, I used Gina K's "Ribbon Stripes" for these as well as using the diamond stripe image to create a faux bandanna patten on the Pure Luxury Rocket Red CS by stamping it in Vivid Coffee Bean and accenting it with the Inkssentials White Pen. Base is Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss. I rubbed ghe pad directly onto the paper to give it this suede look (such a velvety, juicy pad!) and then distressed the edges. The different buckles are from the SU! Antique Brass Hodge Podge kit.

                                More later, I just got back in town from a long weekend, lots to do!!! Have a great day!!

                                Sunday, June 14, 2009

                                Make Time to Read

                                A simple bookmark for a special man using Nina Brackett's "Special Fathers"...
                                Stamp the clock onto a strip of Pure Luxury White or Ivory CS, leaving room at the top so you can trim 1/8" around the clock top carefully. Layer onto a larger Chocolate Kiss rectangle (1/8" larger all around) and cut around the top again. The clock was colored with Copics and the edges were sponged with Antique Linen distressing ink. I added this little silver heart charm on a brad to decorate the top, the engraved silver adds a richness and vintage touch. (The charm is a little feminine maybe, but what grandfather wouldn't want to to reminded of the love of his grandkids? :) I also think adding an ornament and leaving off the long ribbon gives this bookmarker a more masculine feel.)

                                Have a great day!

                                Saturday, June 13, 2009

                                Sporty Ties in Time for Father's Day: Tutorial


                                Here are a couple of ties I stamped up pretty quickly with my new "Sporty Accessories" for my father (baseball) and stepfather (golf) for Father's Day. Aren't they fun?! I bought these at Ross for $7 and $8 each (if you don't have Ross in your area, it is a name brand for less store like Marshall's or Steinmart, elsewhere priced at $25-$35) Use Staz-On ink or Palette Ink for fast drying and a crisp image! (If you click on the closeup, I accidentally used Memento on a few of the clubs, (the blurrier ones) when opened the pads look the same LOL!)


                                Tips for selecting ties to stamp:

                                1. Look at the texture of the fabric and consider how well it will pick up the details of your stamp image. The champagne tie above is silky smooth, you see every line of the golf club.
                                2. Choosing a darker color helps minimize the appearance of mistakes or a less than crisp image. The dark red tie has a slightly nubby texture to it, but the dark color keeps your eye from minding any "skips" in the baseball images (on a lighter color like the golf tie, you would see that and the image would appear fuzzy.)

                                3. Find a tie with a pattern that still allows some areas to stamp in. If you pick a solid tie, trying to create a pattern like this will really show if you make any mistakes. (Here I just followed the diagonal lines to make the rows, the bat, hockey stick and club are all natural matches for a new set of stripes! piece of cake!) I used a gridline block to make a pattern from the

                                4. If you do go with a solid tie, collage stamp several images randomly to create a "background". Then you can go back fill in areas that have too much space later.

                                5. If you go with a printed tie, choose one that has color in it to match your ink, this will make your stamped images look like part of the original pattern. In the golf tie, the thin black stripes go nicely with the thin black lines of the stamps clubs, and it really makes this nice, subtle pattern. (my DH was really impressed when he saw the finished tie how sophisticated and professional-looking it turned out!)


                                Hope this inspires you to try some ties! (I also made some sporty boxers! Wouldn't these "Sporty Accessories" make fun underwear for your little athletes?) They came out as nicely as I imagined they might, and at $8 a piece it was the worth the risk of trying a new article of clothing as my stamping canvas! I'm really excited to be able to make more of them for sports enthusiasts, and proud to present these two to the dads in my life! Talk about a one of kind, personalized gift!
                                Have a great day!

                                Friday, June 12, 2009

                                Soccer Spin

                                Here are spinner cards I made for my son Jonathan's coaches at the end of the soccer season. I punched out the balls from "Sporty Accessories" with a 1" circle punch and made the spinner with the SU! Word Window punch.


                                His team was the "Yellow Jackets" and they had those beautiful shimmery yellow jerseys so I made the stars, jersey from "Just So Sporty" and card base from Paper Temptress Gold Metallic paper, these metallic papers are GREAT for sports jerseys! (and are on sale this month!) I stamped "#1" and "Thank U Coach" from the same set and drew some wrinkles around the jersey outline with a yellow Koh-i Noor to give them some depth. TIP: Use Staz-On Ink with these metallic papers , some inks are slow to dry on this specialty finish and can smear or not show up as well, but Staz-On dries instantly!

                                For a spinner card, you need two pennies and two pop dots, the stack goes in this order: stamped image, pop dot, penny, pop dot, punched slot, penny!



                                Here it is above in action! :) Yup, that's what I sound like (when I'm cheering, that is, but not nearly as loud as I would at the actual game!) ;)

                                Hope you got a kick out of this! Blog candy coming up!! :)

                                Thursday, June 11, 2009

                                Week 2: Tina Gilliland

                                Today Tina mixes it up: "Sporty Accessories" and "Wee Tees"

                                This card is actually a birth announcement, the front has a very clean and simple design with the onesie, a nice little baseball background and "It's a boy" from "Just So Sporty". I love the summery, patriotic colors and elements she used (my older son has a July 1 birthday, so we've had quote a few red, white and blue parties here!) ;) Cardstock and ribbon from the Stamp TV kit "Eclectic Summer", DP is the free "Stars and Stripes" digital paper.
                                Now look inside!

                                Don't you LOVE that bat design for each line item?? (and it keeps your handwriting straight LOL!) The lbs and ounces, my mommy and Daddy and world's cutest are all from "Wee Tees", the meagphone is such a fun way to way to make this very important announcement at the top!
                                You could easily adapt this design using the club or hockey stick, as well as making this into a party invitation instead (all the words you need for your invite details can be found in "Jumping for Joy". Hope this inspires, I know it did me! (off to make some invitations, the birthday's just a few weeks away!! ;)
                                Tina has another sample for us today, let's go see! :)
                                PS Would you like to guest design for me one day? I spend a lot of time browsing the gallery at Stamp TV for my next designers, uploading your creations there with my stamps will definitely show me your point of view and interest! ;)

                                Wednesday, June 10, 2009

                                Perfect Match!

                                I thought the little cut-out racket pair together from "Sporty Accessories" would be fabulous as a heart!
                                Images are stamped in Memento and colored with Copics. TIP: When mounting the rackets over a colored CS, color through the netting in a color to match so it looks like the racket is really strung and you're seeing the colored CS beneath it! Red CS is the new Gina K Pure Luxury Rocket Red, die cut with a Nestabilites heart. The tennis ball is popped up on the racket and then stamped and colored along the bottom, kind of like a brad or eyelet border but much easier!

                                I love all the texture (and perceived texture!) on this card. The white background paper you see is the new "Summer fabrics" digital paper, you can print your own canvas FREE, isn't that beautiful? The striped ribbons are from the new StampTV "Eclectic Summer" kit. Base is Gina K In the Navy.


                                Have a great day, love you!

                                Tuesday, June 9, 2009

                                Isn't it Romantic...?

                                Here's a whimsical take on a sunset using the Stamp TV Kit Eclectic Summer (moonrise?)

                                Begin stamping your silhouette image in Memento Black. Mask in the middle of the image with a straight piece of scrap paper and sponge above it to create the horizon. Rip some small "islands" from scratch pieces and sponge black ink into these negaative spaces. Place a die cut Nestabilities heart over the couple and sponged Pumpkin Pie and Regal Rose over it, when you remove the mask it will remain bright white. Remove masks. Rotate the heart a half turn and sponge around it lightly below the boat, remove the mask, then sponge over it in the same inks to make the lower reflection blurrier and more subtle.

                                To give it a lot of contrast (and to keep from blinging it up too much for my sweetie!) I matted it in simple blacks and whites (Pure Luxury of course!) like an art gallery print. EK Success Curved Corner punches at the top and bottom.

                                Have a wonderful day (and night!)